SP Sotto: Well the President opened the meeting right after sitting down by saying that he wants this impasse resolved and I am telling you now, he said, exact words niya ito, "I will not sign anything unless Senate President Sotto signs it." So ang feeling nga namin, may message na kaagad doon sa House of representatives na sinasabi niya, ayusin ninyo yan, parang ganun, because ako naman, I will not sign if I will be complicit to the violation of the revised penal code, and the violation of the Constitution, to us, it's as simple as that.

Q: I was thinking about that because that was the story yesterday, but also in hindsight, he cannot sign anything that you won't sign, because it does not become a legal document.

SP Sotto: Yes but there is a possibility that they will send it direct to the President, bypass the Senate.

Q: But without the signature of the Senate President? Is that even possible?

SP Sotto: They can do that, it's not possible. It's not possible, but they can do that.

Q: After that, ano ang nangyari?

SP Sotto: The House chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Congressman Andaya, started by saying that what they did was part of the itemization and all that, and he was saying something about the Senate also doing the same thing after ratification, which was corrected by Senator Legarda. Senator Legarda asked for the floor right away and explained what Congressman Andaya was saying, and then after so many words, and I had to butt in already because there were these interpretations being mentioned, Senator Lacson came up with a suggestion, Ang sabi niya kay Presidente, the best way Mr. President for us to resolve this, is for the House to recall what they sent us today, that they sent during that day and remove the realignments, the internal realignments that they did after the ratification. And then we will approve it, we will approve it, we will sign it, the Senate President will sign it, we will give it to you. Indeed there will be lump sum appropriations then but it is up to the President on what to do with it. As far as the President is concerned if he does that it will not be a violation of the Constitution unlike if we did.

Q: And then?

SP Sotto: The President said something to the effect that "parang pasasakitin yung ulo ko, ako ang ano niyan." Ang sabi namin, kung may manghihingi sa inyo, Mr. President, from the House, eh di manghingi sila. Eh di pagbigyan ninyo yung dapat, yung hindi, iveto ninyo or wag ninyo pagbigyan. And then Executive Secretary Medialdea who was on his right side, on his left was Secretary Sonny Dominguez, both were nodding their heads and they agreed as a matter of fact when we talked to them personally, that would be the best option. The House did not say anything.

Q: That's where I was going to go. What did they sa to that?

SP Sotto: I did not hear them say they are not in favor.

Q: But did they say they were in favor?

SP Sotto: I don't recall also.

Q: Were they quiet?

SP Sotto: For that portion? I think so. I don't recall anything that would go against the suggestion. Akala nga namin, okay na yan.

SP Sotto: Yun ang sense namin, so we were surprised when the following day they were saying that it's not possible and they will stand pat with what they submitted already. Well, it's their own lookout, as far as we are concerned, we are expecting them to recall what they sent.

Q: You are not going to move, is that so? Let's get it very factually. Hindi gagalaw ang Senado hanggang irecall yung pinadala sa inyo at ibalik doon sa original?

Q: We need to talk about that because not all of us understand what happened in the budget because there are allegations by Senator Ping Lacson, and then the congressmen are saying there's no such thing, itemization versus lump sum. Let's get into the nitty-gritty. Sabi nila nag-itemize sila, versus you saying what? Hindi lang sila nag-itemize, but nag-reallocate sila?

SP Sotto: Nag-internal realignment sila.

Q: Which is illegal, you are saying.

SP Sotto: Yes, it is illegal. Let's say there is a hundred pesos and that is your money, and that is what you presented in the bicam. In the bicam, you ratified and then you will itemize now, you will say ten pesos is for this, ten pesos is for that, that's fine. That's what has been done in all Congresses, okay yun. Ito hindi eh. Ibang budget ang ginalaw mo. Yung realignment, hindi yung one hundred pesos. Ang kinuha mo, yung one hundred pesos ni Presidente at inilagay mo sa mga distrito ninyo na wala sa bicam yan. Wala sa ratification o sa usapan natin yan.

SP Sotto: P72-billion ang pagkakaalam namin. Doon sa P96-billion I think there were other movements, I think, I am not familiar with that, it was Senator Lacson who was more or less in the know of where the rest, how it happened, and where it...

SP Sotto: Oo. Ginalaw namin when it was time for us to scrutinize it, to amend it, to propose amendments. For example, doon sa DPWH, merong P75-billion na hindi alam ng Secretary ng DPWH kung paano napunta roon. Sa DILG, may P27-billion na hindi alam ng Secretary of DILG na nandudoon. Ano ang gagawin namin? We will turn a blind eye? No. We amended, we realigned that, but we realigned during the time that we can realign.

Q: Before ratification?

SP Sotto: Before ratification. The point is, my point is, after ratification, I will certify to the correctness and the accuracy of the budget. How can I do that when they changed it?

Q: I understand where you are coming from. Here is the question, again, just to be clear, ang sinasabi nila, nag-itemize lang naman kami, to which you are saying, no, nag-realign kayo.

SP Sotto: Yes, as a matter of fact, if that is what's going to happen, the Secretary of finance has already presented to us the effect on the economic growth if it's passed in August and also if it is not passed at all. If it is re-enacted the entire year. Meron ding percentage na sinabi siya (unclear). Now, it is up to the House, it's in their House now, it's not in our hands because we will resume on May 20. We have only three weeks after that and after that most of them, if not most of the officers, will end their terms. There will be a new Congress that we will be talking to, a new Speaker, new officers, in July.

Q: Can you answer this straight, is it hard to speak to the Speaker? Is it hard to speak to Congressman Andaya? Is it hard to speak to Congressman Castro? Mahirap ba silang kausap?

Q: I asked that because my understanding is sa susunod na Congress, tapos na po ang term ni Speaker, tapos na rin ang term ni Congressman Andaya, kaya po tayo napunta doon, dahil there will be a new set of leaders. Are you hoping that you will see eye to eye or they might be easier to speak to, ganun po ba yun?

SP Sotto: Probably, and the members of the Committee on Appropriations that are doing this, because consequence yung kay Speaker Arroyo because yun din ang mangyayari sa akin. If I sign that, I will be violating the revised penal code Section 170, which is falsification of legislative documents punishable by a penalty of prision correctional to its maximum term. Ayoko naman nun, not mentioning the fact that it's unconstitutional.

SP Sotto: Pinakamaganda yung usapan kahapon. Yesterday there was a new development. Senator Ping Lacson had a talk with Congressman Ronnie Zamora. They had a long talk and the suggestion was that again, recall the submitted GAB to us and from there we could probably amend or let the President veto that portion, then we can convene kahit one day a special session and pass a joint resolution approving a supplemental budget for that particular ilang percent na yun, or 3 percent na portion ng budget.

SP Sotto: As soon as possible, as soon as the President signs it or vetoes any portion of the budget. They can do that and then nakaupo pa sila hanggang June 30. Sa palagay ko dapat tanggapin na nila yung suggestion namin, sapagkat after June 30, iba na ang taong kausap namin.

Q: We are talking about a resolution that Senator Grace that said an investigation is going to be on Tuesday, papaano ngayon? What can be done now, what should government do now? What can senators do now prior to the hearing on Tuesday?

SP Sotto: Ang totoo niyan, ang Executive Department ang talagang dapat sumipa dito ng husto, but kami tumutulong lang para maresolve ito at wag ng maulit. That's what we can do at present. As far as the present situation is concerned, I think the Executive Department has more chances of trying to resolve it.

SP Sotto: Yes, I already filed that, and I was the original author of the reimposition of the death penalty during the 9th and the 10th Congress, this time I was really concentrating on the high-level drug trafficking but with witnessing heinous crimes like this, talagang alam mo galit yung mga kababayan natin. Majority of our people want the death penalty back for heinous crimes. Now, it's Senator Pacquiao and I who are sponsoring it in the Senate. Hindi ako makabilang ng 13 sa ngayon na in favor, I am not sure about the others. Pero the way things are happening, marami ng pumapayag sa mga kasama namin. But then again we have three weeks to go, we resume in May, may tyamba, pwedeng makalusot, but if not, then during the elections, the electorate, I suggest you vote for senators who are in favor, because the House passed it already. They passed it already, sa Senate ang natatagalan. If they are in favor of the death penalty, vote for senators who are in favor of the death penalty. If you are not in favor of the death penalty, the vote for candidates who are not in favor.

Q: Are you in favor now of including yung ganito po ang nangyari sa 16 year old?